Audi A7

The A7 is Audi’s answer to the sleek Mercedes-Benz CLS and beefy BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe. The answer was a good one and quick to muscle in on the four door coupe market, bringing with it the benefits of Quattro.

Performance

The A7 comes with a choice of three variants of its powerful 3.0 TDI unit and one 3.0 TFSI petrol option. All of which are a V6 engine. Diesel: 3.0 TDI with 217, 272 and 320bhp with a choice of 6-speed manual and the 7-speed S-tronic automatic transmissions. Petrol: 3.0 TFSI with 333bhp with the same choice of gearbox as the diesel options. Audi also offer their V8 high performance models from the A7 range in the shape of the S7 or uber hardcore RS7. If you fancy power and ridiculous amounts of low end torque partnered with executive luxury, the 333bhp 3.0TDI is the best option.

Ride & Handling

All of the above mentioned models come with Audi’s four-wheel-drive Quattro system meaning grip is never an issue no matter the weather. There is a front wheel drive Ultra option too for those that want to maximise mileage. Grip the A7 might have, but it’s not quite as much fun to drive as its aforementioned German counterparts above. 19 inch alloy wheels come as standard on the SE trim with S-line models, like on the A6 getting larger optional 20 and 21 inch wheels with a stiffer suspension setup. The 19 inch wheels are big enough and the SE provides the smoothest ride.

Refinement

You are not likely to come across a smoother 3.0 turbo diesel V6 in this class, with the level of refinement provided being practically unbeatable. The BMW probably comes a close second but the Audi’s is by far the quietest. The high performance S7 and RS7 V8 models also bring excellent levels of refinement but push them hard, as is the nature of the beast, your ears will bellow in many decibels of aural delight. The 333 bhp BiTDI top of the range 3.0 diesel is mated to an 8-speed automatic bringing massive amount of grunt low down with a great top end roar.

Quality & Reliability

Being a four door coupe, the Audi A7 has a luxury interior to match its sporty and stylish exterior making it one of the best looking Audi cars in their range backed up with huge amounts of executive appeal. Receiving a mid-life makeover at the end of the 2014, the A7 received more aggressive styling with some cool additions like Matrix LED headlights and LED indicators that flow in the direction you are turning. The interior dashboard design is probably the best design in its class and is naturally constructed from the highest quality materials giving it a luxurious feel throughout.

Safety & Security

The Audi A6 and the A7 are underpinned by the same chassis while the A6 received a 5 Star Euro NCAP score for safety. LED headlamps, 6 airbags and electronic stability control come as standard. Being an Audi there is also a host of further optional safety features aimed at keeping you safe on the road and enhancing your Audi driving experience. These include options such as adaptive cruise control, head-up display and lane assist, but be careful when ticking boxes as these can drive the price up considerably. That said, it is hard to put a price on a person’s safety.

Space & Practicality

A four-door coupe the Audi A7 might be, but short on space it is not. It gets a considerable 535 litre boot, that’s 5 litre more than the A6 saloon. The rear seats also fold down which creates 1350 litres of space which is a lot of luggage space. Despite the sloping roofline, headroom is not too badly compromised for rear passengers leaving enough space for three adults with ample legroom too. That sloping roofline does affect visibility out of the rear window however meaning ticking the rear view camera on the options list might not be the worst idea.